The irl hat, developed with Yukyung Kim, reflects on the phone’s role as an isolating device. While it promises connection, it often shuts people off from those around them. Unlike a book—whose cover reveals what someone is engaging with—phone use tends to conceal the activity and disconnect the user from their surroundings. The irl hat attempts to counter this.

In its sunny open mode, the hat reflects the phone screen, allowing others to catch a glimpse at what the wearer is viewing. In its cloudy closed mode, the wearable offers shelter from stimulation and social contact, enabling the wearer to move between openness and privacy.

The irl hat was developed in response to an assignment to design a protective headpiece that could be woven on an industrial weaving machine at EE Labels. The piece was designed to lie completely flat so the form could be woven directly on the loom with minimal post-processing.